ST. LOUIS (AP) In a most sticky situation, Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina couldn't find a ball that clung to his chest protector and the Chicago Cubs turned the bizarre play into a late rally, beating St. Louis 6-4 on Thursday.

The Cardinals led 4-2 in the seventh inning when things became kooky at Busch Stadium.

Pinch-hitter Matt Szczur led off by striking out on a pitch from Brett Cecil that skipped in the dirt. The ball bounced into Molina's protector and appeared to get trapped by a sticky substance.

Molina kept looking around for the ball, and didn't find it until Szczur safely made it to first base. The Gold Glove catcher could only smile and fans in sellout crowd laughed - really, who'd ever seen such a thing?

Catchers sometimes put pine tar somewhere on their uniforms, often around the shin guards, to help give them a better grip.

Once Szczur reached on what was scored as a wild pitch, the Cardinals lost their grip on this game.

After a walk, Kyle Schwarber hit a go-ahead, three-run homer. The Cubs added another run later in the inning against Cecil (0-1).

The World Series champions won two in a row after losing to the Cards on opening night.

John Lackey (1-0) threw six solid innings against his former team and new Cubs closer Wade Davis got his second save. Addison Russell drove in a pair of runs on groundouts for Chicago.

REDS 7, PHILLIES 4

CINCINNATI (AP) - Relief pitcher Michael Lorenzen connected for a pinch-hit homer that put Cincinnati ahead and the Reds overcame a rough major league debut by Rookie Davis to beat Philadelphia.

Adam Duvall also homered as the Reds rallied from an early three-run deficit to take the opening series, winning two of three.

Lorenzen's solo homer - the second of his career - off Adam Morgan (0-1) put the Reds ahead 5-4 in the sixth inning. Manager Bryan Price used the reliever because he's working with a short-handed bench.

Cody Reed (1-0) got his first major league win by escaping threats in each of his two innings. Drew Storen pitched the ninth for his first save.

The Phillies blew a 4-1 lead set up by Daniel Nava's two homers off Davis.
METS 6, BRAVES 2

NEW YORK (AP) - Matt Harvey dominated with a fastball in the mid-90 mph range and uncommon efficiency in his return from major surgery, beating Atlanta and giving New York hope his injury woes are behind him.

Travis d'Arnaud hit a two-run double and Wilmer Flores a two-run homer against Jaime Garcia (0-1), who made his Atlanta debut after eight seasons with St. Louis.

Harvey (1-0) walked off the mound to a standing ovation, far different from his previous appearance on July 4, when he was chased in the fourth inning and stared at the field from the dugout, a white towel draped over his left shoulder, a despondent look on his face.

With the Mets in Harvey's favored blue jerseys for the first time this season, he allowed three hits in 6 2/3 innings, leaving after Matt Kemp's second solo home run. Harvey threw 55 of 73 pitches for strikes, fanned four and walked none.
DODGERS 10, PADRES 2

Puig was 2 for 3 with two walks, two runs, four RBIs and a stolen base.

Puig hit a two-run homer to left off the first pitch from Jered Weaver (0-1) in the second inning. The Cuban star homered off Weaver again in his next at-bat in the fourth inning, belting another two-run shot to left field to give the Dodgers a four-run lead.

Brandon McCarthy (1-0) allowed just two runs on four hits in six innings.

Weaver, who grew up in the Los Angeles area and played at Long Beach State, pitched in a different uniform for the first time in his career after spending 11 years with the Angels. He allowed four earned runs on five hits in five innings.

Wil Myers hit a two-run home run to right field off McCarthy in the sixth.
TWINS 5, ROYALS 3

After dropping their first nine games last season on the way to a major league-most 103 losses, the Twins are 3-0 for the first time since 2007. The Royals have their first 0-3 start since 2001.

Salvador Perez and Mike Moustakas homered off Twins starter Kyle Gibson to take Jason Hammel off the hook in his Royals debut, but new reliever Mike Minor (0-1) let the Twins take the lead again.

Taylor Rogers (1-0) worked the seventh for the victory, and Brandon Kintzler pitched a perfect ninth for his first save. Twins relievers have logged 10 scoreless innings, three games into the season.

MARLINS 4, NATIONALS 3, 10 INNINGS

WASHINGTON (AP) - Justin Bour doubled in the go-ahead run with two outs in the 10th inning after the Marlins erased two leads against a shaky Nationals bullpen, and Miami earned its first win of the season.

In a game delayed by rain for more than an hour both at the start and in the middle of the sixth, Bour sent a shot off Joe Blanton (0-1) down the left field line. That brought home J.T. Realmuto, whose single in the 10th was his third hit of the game, including a two-run homer in the eighth that made it 2-all.

David Phelps (1-1) earned the win with a scoreless ninth inning. A.J. Ramos, Miami's sixth pitcher, worked the 10th to earn his first save. He put two men on with one out, then retired Ryan Zimmerman and Anthony Rendon to end it.
MARINERS 4, ASTROS 2

HOUSTON (AP) - Jarrod Dyson hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the ninth inning and Jean Segura drove in a run later in the inning to lift Seattle over Houston.

The game was tied at 2 entering the ninth before Danny Valencia walked with one out and Carlos Ruiz was plunked by Ken Giles (0-1). They were replaced by pinch-runners Taylor Motter and Guillermo Heredia before Dyson's fly ball landed between left fielder Nori Aoki and center fielder Jake Marisnick to allow Motter to score and put Seattle on top.

Segura singled with two outs to send Heredia home for an insurance run that made it 4-2.

Dan Altavilla (1-0) pitched a scoreless eighth for the win and Edwin Diaz struck out two in a perfect ninth for his first save.

Morales homered off Blake Snell (0-1) in the third. Stroman (1-0), the MVP of last month's World Baseball Classic, allowed one run and six hits in his 2017 debut.

Snell gave up five runs and four hits in 6 2/3 innings. The lefty struck out five and walked five.

Darwin Barney had a one-out single in the third, and Josh Donaldson and Jose Bautista both drew two-out walks before Morales sent an 0-1 pitch into left-center field seats for a 4-0 lead.

Jason Grilli came in for Joe Smith with two on and one out in the ninth and threw a run-scoring wild pitch before getting his first save.

DIAMONDBACKS 9, GIANTS 3

PHOENIX (AP) - Jake Lamb hit a three-run homer and Arizona won a four-game series over San Francisco at Chase Field for the first time in nine years.

The Diamondbacks needed seven tries to win a home series in 2016 but are 3-1 for the first time since 2013 under first-year manager Torey Lovullo. And they did it against the Giants, who won nine of 10 in the desert last season.

Arizona's David Peralta and Paul Goldschmidt hit solo homers off Jeff Samardzija (0-1), and Peralta and A.J. Pollock each had two RBIs.

Jorge De La Rosa (1-0) got one out and walked two after replacing Robbie Ray in the sixth inning.
ROCKIES 2, BREWERS 1

MILWAUKEE (AP) - Nolan Arenado and Mark Reynolds homered and Antonio Senzatela pitched five strong innings in his major league debut to help Colorado beat Milwaukee.

Arenado homered off Neftali Feliz (0-1) leading off the ninth. Former Brewer Reynolds led off the third against starter Chase Anderson with his second home run of the season.

The Rockies won three of four games in the season-opening series.

Kirk Nieuwenhuis tied it in the seventh with a solo homer off reliever Adam Ottavino.

Mike Dunn (1-0) picked up the win with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Greg Holland finished for his third save in three chances.
WHITE SOX 11, TIGERS 2

CHICAGO (AP) - Matt Davidson had his first career triple and first home run with Chicago.

Geovany Soto, the catcher who joined the White Sox as a free agent this offseason, added his first two home runs for Chicago to help give Rick Renteria his first victory as the team's manager.

James Shields (1-0) threw 5 1/3 innings, allowing two hits and striking out five. Shields allowed Tyler Collins' solo homer in the second inning to open the scoring, but the Tigers managed only four hits.

Soto's three-run home run in the third made it 5-1 and chased Detroit starter Matthew Boyd (0-1).
ATHLETICS 5, ANGELS 1

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Andrew Triggs pitched into the sixth inning for his second major league win, Ryon Healy homered to cap a four-run third and Oakland beat Los Angeles for an opening four-game split.

Triggs (1-0) allowed an unearned run, four hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings. The right-hander gave up Albert Pujols' RBI groundout in the third and left after consecutive singles in the sixth.

13) RIP Don Rickles, 90, the comedian who became famous by insulting EVERYONE. The guy busted Frank Sinatra’s chops and got away with it- not many people did that. Rickles wasn’t the least bit politically correct, back in an era where people could laugh at themselves instead of being so damn sensitive, the way we are these days.

Reading social media Thursday; Rickles was beloved by modern entertainers, from Chris Rock to Jimmy Kimmel. RIP, sir.

12) Saw a great story of how Rickles was in Tommy Lasorda’s office in Dodger Stadium late in the 1977 baseball season; Lasorda told him to put a uniform on and sit next to him on the bench, so he did.

In the sixth inning, Lasorda tells Rickles to go out and change pitchers; seriously, he did, and Rickles went out and changed pitchers, though the pitcher (Elias Sosa) apparently wasn’t real happy about it. Harry Wendelstedt was the ump; when he went to the mound and saw it was Rickles, he asked him if he could get him tickets to see Dean Martin in Las Vegas.

11) I’m watching the Padres this week and I’m wondering, if Trayce Thompson was a Padre, would he hit 4th or 5th? With the Dodgers, he is in AAA.

10) San Diego’s TV analyst Mark Grant owns a Toyota with 274,000 miles on it; that must be one hell of a car.

9) Dustin Johnson withdrew from The Masters; here at SouthPoint, they refunded bets made on Johnson, but at William Hill sportsbooks, there were no refunds. Would be a cold day in hell before they got any more of my business- thats just common sense.

8) When the Giants lost in Arizona Sunday, after Madison Bumgarner homered twice, it was just the third time since 1960 that a pitcher homered twice in a game that his team lost.

7) Mets faced a lefty last night and Wilmer Flores batted cleanup; I’m thinking, jeez thats not good, but Terry Collins is a sharp guy— Flores homered to break the game open as the Mets won 6-2.

6) Reds 7, Phillies 4— Not often the game-winning hit is a pinch-hit HR by a pitcher, but Michael Lorenzen got one here- it is the first pinch-hit HR by a pitcher since 2009, when Micah Owings hit one, also for Cincinnati.

5) Stanford-Notre Dame played a regional final in the womens’ tournament in Rupp Arena in Lexington, a building that seats 23,000- they drew 2,527 fans. Only one of the four regional finals in the womens’ tournament drew more than 3,200 fans.

Chris Mullin must think his team will be pretty good next year; they’re involved in another twinbill, this one in Staples Center; St John’s-Arizona State and Oklahoma-USC.

3) Atlanta Hawks’ Thabo Sefolosha banked a $4M settlement from an incident outside a New York City nightclub couple years ago where the NYPD beat him up pretty good and broke his leg. The incident was captured on film, which usually helps the plaintiff.

2) A woman on Jeopardy lost $17,200 on Final Jeopardy because she couldn’t come up with the Raptors as the answer— she guessed Timberwolves as “the animal that is this NBA team’s primary mascot peaked 75 million years ago.”

1— Quote of the Day, Part 2: “Isaiah Briscoe leaving UK. Don’t want to be mean-spirited but not sure he has single NBA skill. And shooting is critical for NBA guard.”
ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla, who isn’t normally very critical.

Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

National LeagueBraves @ Pirates
Foltynewicz is 3-0, 3.49 in his last five starts; 10 of his last 11 starts went over total.

Nova is 0-2, 6.87 in his last four starts; under was 7-3-1 in his starts LY.

Atlanta lost two of its first three games (under 2-1). Pirates were outscored 8-3 in losing their first two games (under 2-0). This is a 1:00 start; Braves played in NYC last nite.
Nationals @ Phillies
Scherzer is 8-0, 2.97 in his last nine regular season starts; three of his last four starts went over.

Velasquez is 0-5, 6.18 in his last eight starts; over is 3-1-1 in his last five starts.

Washington won two of its first three games (under 2-1). Phillies lost two of their first three games (under 2-1).

Dodgers @ Rockies
Ryu is 28-16, 3.25 in 57 career starts, but has started only one game the last two years because of arm injuries.

Freeland is making his MLB debut here; he was 5-7, 3.87 in 14 AA starts LY, then 6-3, 3.91 in 12 AAA starts.

Dodgers won three of first four games (over 2-2). Colorado won three of its first four games (over 2-2).
Giants @ Padres
Cain was 0-2, 11.42 in his last two starts LY. Over is 4-2-1 in his last seven starts.

Perdomo is 2-3, 5.23 in his last five starts; five of his last six starts stayed under.

San Francisco lost three of its first four games (over 4-0). San Diego lost three of its first four games (over 2-2).
Marlins @ Mets
Chen is 0-2, 5.47 in his last five starts; three of his last four starts stayed under.

Wheeler is making his first start since 2014, due to injuries; he is 18-16, 3.50 in 49 career starts.

Marlins lost two of their first three games (under 2-1). Mets won two of their first three games (under 2-1).

Cubs @ Brewers
Anderson threw 11.1 innings in four games (3 starts) for the Dodgers LY; he is 38-43, 3.86 in 115 starts in an injury-riddled career.

Nelson is is 1-3, 6.45 in his last four starts; over is 6-4-1 in his last 11 starts.

Chicago won two of its first three games (over 1-1-1). Milwaukee lost three of its first four games (over 2-2).

Reds @ Cardinals
Garrett is making his MLB debut; the former St John’s basketball player was

Leake is 0-3, 5.84 in his last five starts; his last five starts stayed under.

Cincinnati won two of its first three games (under 2-1). St Louis lost two of its first three games (over 1-1-1).

——————————–

American League gamesRed Sox @ Tigers
Wright is 1-1, 6.28 in his last five starts; over is 4-1-1 in his last six starts.

Fulmer is 1-4, 5.54 in his last seven starts; under is 7-3-1 in his last 11 starts.

Boston won its first two games, allowing three runs (under 2-0). Detroit split their first two games (over 2-0).

Bronx @ Baltimore
Severino was 0-8, 9.06 in 11 starts LY; four of his last five starts went over.

Jimenez is 3-1, 2.83 in his last five starts; under is 5-2-1 in his last eight starts.

Bronx lost two of its first three games (under 2-1). Orioles won their first two games (under 2-0).

Blue Jays @ Rays
Liriano is 1-1, 2.19 in his last four starts; six of his last eight starts stayed under.

Andriese is is 2-1, 3.32 in his last four starts (under 3-1).

Toronto lost its first two games (under 2-0). Tampa Bay won two of its first three games (under 2-1).

A’s @ Rangers
Alcantara was 1-3, 7.59 in five starts LY (under 3-2).

Former Athletic Griffin is 0-1, 9.00 in his last four starts; under is 5-3-2 in his last ten starts.

Oakland split its first four games (under 3-1). Texas lost its first three games (over 2-1).
Twins @ White Sox
Hughes was 1-7, 6.34 in eleven starts LY; over is 5-1-1 in his last seven starts.

Holland was 0-3, 8.59 in his last three starts for Texas LY; three of his last four starts went over.

Minnesota won its first three games, allowing five runs (under 1-0-2). White Sox split its first two games (over 2-0).
Royals @ Astros
Vargas was 1-1, 2.25 in three starts for the Royals LY (under 3-0).

Fiers is 1-2, 5.95 in his last four starts; four of his last six starts stayed under.

Kansas City lost its first three games (under 1-0-2). Houston won three of its first four games (under 3-1).
Mariners @ Angels
Gallardo was 1-0, 2.25 in his last two starts for Baltimore LY; under is 5-3-1 in his last nine starts.

Chavez has started 49 MLB games, but none since 2015 with the A’s. He threw 67 innings in 62 games LY, for the Blue Jays/Dodgers.

Mariners lost three of their first four games (under 3-1). Angels split their first four games (under 3-1).

__________________________

Interleague gamesIndians @ Diamondbacks
Tomlin is 2-1, 2.10 in his last four regular season starts; his last five starts stayed under.

Miller threw 11.2 scoreless innings in his last two starts LY; under is 4-1-1 in his last six starts.

Cleveland won its first three games, in Texas (over 2-1). Arizona won three of its first four games (over 4-0).

1:05 PMATLANTA vs. PITTSBURGH
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Atlanta's last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 17 of Atlanta's last 25 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Atlanta
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing at home against Atlanta

1:10 PMBOSTON vs. DETROIT
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Boston's last 12 games on the road
Boston is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Detroit's last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Detroit's last 11 games

3:05 PMWASHINGTON vs. PHILADELPHIA
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Washington's last 7 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
Washington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Philadelphia
Philadelphia is 1-12 SU in its last 13 games when playing Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Philadelphia's last 7 games when playing Washington

4:10 PMLA DODGERS vs. COLORADO
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of LA Dodgers's last 6 games when playing on the road against Colorado
LA Dodgers are 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing Colorado
Colorado is 0-5 SU in their last 5 games when playing LA Dodgers
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Colorado's last 16 games when playing LA Dodgers

6:40 PMSAN FRANCISCO vs. SAN DIEGO
San Francisco is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games when playing San Diego
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of San Francisco's last 10 games when playing on the road against San Diego
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of San Diego's last 10 games when playing at home against San Francisco
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Diego's last 6 games at home

7:05 PMNY YANKEES vs. BALTIMORE
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of NY Yankees's last 7 games when playing Baltimore
NY Yankees are 4-13 SU in their last 17 games when playing on the road against Baltimore
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Baltimore's last 5 games when playing at home against NY Yankees
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Baltimore's last 7 games when playing NY Yankees

7:10 PMMIAMI vs. NY METS
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Miami's last 6 games when playing on the road against NY Mets
Miami is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against NY Mets
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of NY Mets's last 6 games when playing at home against Miami
The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Mets's last 6 games when playing Miami

7:10 PMTORONTO vs. TAMPA BAY
Toronto is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Toronto's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Tampa Bay's last 13 games when playing Toronto

8:05 PMOAKLAND vs. TEXAS
Oakland is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing Texas
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Oakland's last 5 games when playing Texas
Texas is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Oakland
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Texas's last 5 games when playing Oakland

8:10 PMMINNESOTA vs. CHI WHITE SOX
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Minnesota's last 10 games on the road
Minnesota is 5-18 SU in its last 23 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chi White Sox's last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota
Chi White Sox are 6-3 SU in their last 9 games when playing at home against Minnesota

8:10 PMCHI CUBS vs. MILWAUKEE
Chi Cubs are 11-5 SU in their last 16 games when playing on the road against Milwaukee
Chi Cubs are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Milwaukee's last 15 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs
Milwaukee is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games at home

8:10 PMKANSAS CITY vs. HOUSTON
Kansas City is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Kansas City's last 6 games when playing on the road against Houston
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston's last 6 games when playing at home against Kansas City
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston's last 6 games when playing Kansas City

8:15 PMCINCINNATI vs. ST. LOUIS
Cincinnati is 7-18 SU in its last 25 games when playing on the road against St. Louis
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Cincinnati's last 6 games
St. Louis is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
St. Louis is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games when playing at home against Cincinnati

9:40 PMCLEVELAND vs. ARIZONA
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Cleveland's last 5 games when playing Arizona
Cleveland is 16-5 SU in its last 21 games
Arizona is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Arizona's last 6 games

10:07 PMSEATTLE vs. LA ANGELS
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of Seattle's last 21 games when playing on the road against LA Angels
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Seattle's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of LA Angels's last 21 games when playing at home against Seattle
LA Angels are 4-9 SU in their last 13 games when playing Seattle

ATLANTA (1 - 2) at PITTSBURGH (0 - 2) - 1:05 PM
MIKE FOLTYNEWICZ (R) vs. IVAN NOVA (R)
Top Trends for this game.
PITTSBURGH is 187-180 (+29.7 Units) against the money line when playing with a day off since 1997.
ATLANTA is 38-45 (+17.6 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 38-46 (+16.6 Units) against the money line in road games in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 30-28 (+20.2 Units) against the money line in road games against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 38-42 (-16.3 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 38-42 (-16.3 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
PITTSBURGH is 58-75 (-29.1 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

MIKE FOLTYNEWICZ vs. PITTSBURGH since 1997
FOLTYNEWICZ is 0-2 when starting against PITTSBURGH with an ERA of 9.72 and a WHIP of 1.681.
His team's record is 0-2 (-2.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 0-2. (-2.3 units)

IVAN NOVA vs. ATLANTA since 1997
NOVA is 1-0 when starting against ATLANTA with an ERA of 0.00 and a WHIP of 0.857.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-1. (-1.0 units)

WASHINGTON (2 - 1) at PHILADELPHIA (1 - 2) - 3:05 PM
MAX SCHERZER (R) vs. VINCENT VELASQUEZ (R)
Top Trends for this game.
WASHINGTON is 33-47 (-21.4 Units) against the money line in road games after a loss over the last 3 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 13-9 (+10.6 Units) against the money line when the total is 7 or less over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

MAX SCHERZER vs. PHILADELPHIA since 1997
SCHERZER is 7-1 when starting against PHILADELPHIA with an ERA of 1.78 and a WHIP of 0.859.
His team's record is 9-2 (+5.5 units) in these starts. The OVER is 6-3. (+2.9 units)

VINCENT VELASQUEZ vs. WASHINGTON since 1997
VELASQUEZ is 1-0 when starting against WASHINGTON with an ERA of 4.50 and a WHIP of 1.333.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.8 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-0. (+0.0 units)

LA DODGERS (3 - 1) at COLORADO (3 - 1) - 4:10 PM
HYUN-JIN RYU (L) vs. ANTONIO SENZATELA (R)
Top Trends for this game.
LA DODGERS are 193-151 (-20.1 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 3 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 41-46 (-16.6 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 16-22 (-13.5 Units) against the money line in road games against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 38-44 (-18.4 Units) against the money line in road games in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 62-66 (-26.0 Units) against the money line in road games against right-handed starters over the last 3 seasons.
LA DODGERS are 15-27 (-19.0 Units) against the money line in road games after a win over the last 2 seasons.
COLORADO is 60-50 (+19.1 Units) against the money line in day games over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

HYUN-JIN RYU vs. COLORADO since 1997
RYU is 3-2 when starting against COLORADO with an ERA of 4.00 and a WHIP of 1.370.
His team's record is 3-2 (-0.5 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-2. (-1.0 units)

SAN FRANCISCO (1 - 3) at SAN DIEGO (1 - 3) - 6:40 PM
MATT CAIN (R) vs. LUIS PERDOMO (R)
Top Trends for this game.
SAN FRANCISCO is 23-32 (-18.2 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 59-57 (-20.1 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
CAIN is 16-33 (-20.5 Units) against the money line in April games since 1997. (Team's Record)
SAN DIEGO is 21-13 (+13.4 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 2 seasons.
SAN DIEGO is 16-10 (+14.2 Units) against the money line when playing on Friday over the last 2 seasons.
SAN DIEGO is 45-51 (+12.7 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
SAN FRANCISCO is 405-407 (+39.4 Units) against the money line in road games after a loss since 1997.
SAN DIEGO is 32-66 (-30.5 Units) against the money line in day games over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

MATT CAIN vs. SAN DIEGO since 1997
CAIN is 8-14 when starting against SAN DIEGO with an ERA of 3.14 and a WHIP of 1.154.
His team's record is 13-22 (-13.2 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 15-18. (-5.6 units)

LUIS PERDOMO vs. SAN FRANCISCO since 1997
PERDOMO is 1-0 when starting against SAN FRANCISCO with an ERA of 3.27 and a WHIP of 1.182.
His team's record is 2-0 (+3.8 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-1. (+0.0 units)

MIAMI (1 - 2) at NY METS (2 - 1) - 7:10 PM
WEI-YIN CHEN (L) vs. ZACK WHEELER (R)
Top Trends for this game.
MIAMI is 57-72 (-22.2 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
CHEN is 84-58 (+23.7 Units) against the money line in all games since 1997. (Team's Record)
CHEN is 80-50 (+27.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field since 1997. (Team's Record)
CHEN is 48-26 (+27.5 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997. (Team's Record)
NY METS are 345-355 (-104.6 Units) against the money line in home games against division opponents since 1997.
NY METS are 18-21 (-18.7 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

WEI-YIN CHEN vs. NY METS since 1997
CHEN is 1-0 when starting against NY METS with an ERA of 1.29 and a WHIP of 0.571.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 0-1. (-1.1 units)

ZACK WHEELER vs. MIAMI since 1997
WHEELER is 2-0 when starting against MIAMI with an ERA of 1.37 and a WHIP of 0.966.
His team's record is 4-2 (+2.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 2-3. (-1.0 units)

CHICAGO CUBS (2 - 1) at MILWAUKEE (1 - 3) - 8:10 PM
BRETT ANDERSON (L) vs. JIMMY NELSON (R)
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO CUBS are 1604-1688 (-257.6 Units) against the money line in all games since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 408-435 (-88.3 Units) against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 1547-1601 (-232.4 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 1181-1253 (-193.8 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 775-828 (-185.3 Units) against the money line after a win since 1997.
CHICAGO CUBS are 777-741 (-157.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record since 1997.
ANDERSON is 53-64 (-23.4 Units) against the money line in all games since 1997. (Team's Record)
ANDERSON is 8-18 (-14.3 Units) against the money line in April games since 1997. (Team's Record)
ANDERSON is 50-63 (-27.0 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field since 1997. (Team's Record)
MILWAUKEE is 8-3 (+9.9 Units) against the money line as a home underdog of +150 to +175 over the last 2 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 30-20 (+17.9 Units) against the money line against left-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
MILWAUKEE is 14-35 (-20.9 Units) against the money line in April games over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

BRETT ANDERSON vs. MILWAUKEE since 1997
ANDERSON is 0-0 when starting against MILWAUKEE with an ERA of 3.86 and a WHIP of 1.143.
His team's record is 1-0 (+1.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-0. (+1.0 units)

JIMMY NELSON vs. CHICAGO CUBS since 1997
NELSON is 1-6 when starting against CHICAGO CUBS with an ERA of 4.07 and a WHIP of 1.291.
His team's record is 2-8 (-5.7 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 6-3. (+3.1 units)

CINCINNATI (2 - 1) at ST LOUIS (1 - 2) - 8:15 PM
AMIR GARRETT (L) vs. MIKE LEAKE (R)
Top Trends for this game.
CINCINNATI is 363-402 (+31.1 Units) against the money line in road games against division opponents since 1997.
CINCINNATI is 416-376 (+58.8 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a losing record since 1997.
ST LOUIS is 39-45 (-25.0 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 39-45 (-25.0 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 26-30 (-17.3 Units) against the money line in home games in night games over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 8-14 (-11.6 Units) against the money line in home games against left-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
ST LOUIS is 17-25 (-14.2 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
LEAKE is 3-10 (-9.9 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
LEAKE is 0-6 (-8.4 Units) against the money line in home games against division opponents over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
LEAKE is 3-10 (-9.9 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
LEAKE is 2-9 (-9.7 Units) against the money line in home games in night games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

AMIR GARRETT vs. ST LOUIS since 1997
No recent starts.

MIKE LEAKE vs. CINCINNATI since 1997
LEAKE is 0-2 when starting against CINCINNATI with an ERA of 7.25 and a WHIP of 1.523.
His team's record is 0-4 (-6.6 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-2. (-0.3 units)

BOSTON (2 - 0) at DETROIT (1 - 1) - 1:10 PM
STEVEN WRIGHT (R) vs. MICHAEL FULMER (R)
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 87-76 (+10.9 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
FULMER is 19-7 (+13.2 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
FULMER is 10-2 (+8.3 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
FULMER is 8-0 (+9.5 Units) against the money line in day games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
FULMER is 18-7 (+12.1 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
DETROIT is 222-233 (-57.6 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 8 to 8.5 since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

STEVEN WRIGHT vs. DETROIT since 1997
WRIGHT is 0-1 when starting against DETROIT with an ERA of 10.00 and a WHIP of 2.111.
His team's record is 0-2 (-3.6 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-1. (-0.1 units)

MICHAEL FULMER vs. BOSTON since 1997
FULMER is 0-1 when starting against BOSTON with an ERA of 6.07 and a WHIP of 1.349.
His team's record is 1-1 (+0.2 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-1. (-0.1 units)

NY YANKEES (1 - 2) at BALTIMORE (2 - 0) - 7:05 PM
LUIS SEVERINO (R) vs. UBALDO JIMENEZ (R)
Top Trends for this game.
NY YANKEES are 12-29 (-15.6 Units) against the money line in road games against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
SEVERINO is 1-9 (-9.1 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
BALTIMORE is 91-74 (+17.2 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 52-31 (+16.0 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 11-2 (+8.6 Units) against the money line in home games in April games over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 82-63 (+16.8 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
BALTIMORE is 67-51 (+15.6 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
JIMENEZ is 20-6 (+13.3 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
JIMENEZ is 9-1 (+8.7 Units) against the money line in home games against division opponents over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
JIMENEZ is 20-6 (+13.3 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
JIMENEZ is 17-4 (+13.1 Units) against the money line in home games in night games over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
JIMENEZ is 18-8 (+11.1 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

LUIS SEVERINO vs. BALTIMORE since 1997
SEVERINO is 0-1 when starting against BALTIMORE with an ERA of 4.86 and a WHIP of 1.140.
His team's record is 1-2 (-1.1 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 2-1. (+0.7 units)

UBALDO JIMENEZ vs. NY YANKEES since 1997
JIMENEZ is 4-5 when starting against NY YANKEES with an ERA of 6.05 and a WHIP of 1.672.
His team's record is 5-6 (-0.0 units) in these starts. The OVER is 4-7. (-3.5 units)

TORONTO (1 - 2) at TAMPA BAY (2 - 2) - 7:10 PM
FRANCISCO LIRIANO (L) vs. MATT ANDRIESE (R)
Top Trends for this game.
TAMPA BAY is 70-96 (-30.4 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 38-47 (-15.7 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 6-20 (-15.8 Units) against the money line when playing on Friday over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 38-47 (-15.7 Units) against the money line in games played in a dome over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 42-65 (-26.7 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 38-47 (-15.7 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on artificial turf over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 37-58 (-22.5 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 2 seasons.
TAMPA BAY is 31-40 (-16.6 Units) against the money line in home games when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
TORONTO is 1-0 (+1.0 Units) against TAMPA BAY this season
1 of 1 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL this season . (Under=+1.0 Units)

FRANCISCO LIRIANO vs. TAMPA BAY since 1997
LIRIANO is 2-3 when starting against TAMPA BAY with an ERA of 4.67 and a WHIP of 1.288.
His team's record is 4-5 (-1.7 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 5-4. (+0.5 units)

MATT ANDRIESE vs. TORONTO since 1997
ANDRIESE is 0-1 when starting against TORONTO with an ERA of 5.25 and a WHIP of 1.167.
His team's record is 1-2 (-0.9 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-1. (-0.2 units)

OAKLAND (2 - 2) at TEXAS (0 - 3) - 8:05 PM
RAUL ALCANTARA (R) vs. A.J. GRIFFIN (R)
Top Trends for this game.
OAKLAND is 139-189 (-44.3 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 3 seasons.
OAKLAND is 17-34 (-17.9 Units) against the money line when playing on Friday over the last 3 seasons.
OAKLAND is 134-181 (-42.3 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 3 seasons.
OAKLAND is 52-75 (-25.1 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 3 seasons.
TEXAS is 95-73 (+23.1 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 48-27 (+22.3 Units) against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 33-16 (+14.5 Units) against the money line at home when the total is 9 to 9.5 over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 47-29 (+19.9 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 93-67 (+26.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 71-48 (+25.5 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
TEXAS is 73-53 (+20.2 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
GRIFFIN is 16-7 (+11.3 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
GRIFFIN is 11-3 (+10.1 Units) against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
GRIFFIN is 27-8 (+17.2 Units) against the money line in home games since 1997. (Team's Record)
GRIFFIN is 15-6 (+10.8 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
GRIFFIN is 13-3 (+13.2 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

RAUL ALCANTARA vs. TEXAS since 1997
ALCANTARA is 1-1 when starting against TEXAS with an ERA of 4.63 and a WHIP of 1.114.
His team's record is 1-1 (+1.2 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-1. (-0.1 units)

MINNESOTA (3 - 0) at CHI WHITE SOX (1 - 1) - 8:10 PM
PHIL HUGHES (R) vs. DEREK HOLLAND (L)
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 62-103 (-27.4 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 6-18 (-11.4 Units) against the money line as a road underdog of +100 to +125 over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 5-21 (-14.4 Units) against the money line when playing on Friday over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 27-52 (-17.4 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 60-99 (-25.7 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons.
HUGHES is 12-25 (-14.5 Units) against the money line in April games since 1997. (Team's Record)
CHI WHITE SOX are 65-89 (-29.9 Units) against the money line against division opponents over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

PHIL HUGHES vs. CHI WHITE SOX since 1997
HUGHES is 5-5 when starting against CHI WHITE SOX with an ERA of 3.05 and a WHIP of 1.065.
His team's record is 8-7 (+0.6 units) in these starts. The OVER is 6-8. (-2.8 units)

DEREK HOLLAND vs. MINNESOTA since 1997
HOLLAND is 2-3 when starting against MINNESOTA with an ERA of 4.40 and a WHIP of 1.326.
His team's record is 4-4 (-0.8 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 3-5. (-2.5 units)

KANSAS CITY (0 - 3) at HOUSTON (3 - 1) - 8:10 PM
JASON VARGAS (L) vs. MICHAEL FIERS (R)
Top Trends for this game.
KANSAS CITY is 187-156 (+25.1 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 3 seasons.
KANSAS CITY is 181-145 (+29.3 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 3 seasons.
KANSAS CITY is 131-105 (+21.3 Units) against the money line against right-handed starters over the last 3 seasons.
KANSAS CITY is 393-532 (+34.0 Units) against the money line in road games after a loss since 1997.
VARGAS is 76-65 (+19.4 Units) against the money line in night games since 1997. (Team's Record)
HOUSTON is 10-18 (-12.0 Units) against the money line in April games over the last 2 seasons.
FIERS is 15-23 (-16.2 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record since 1997. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

JASON VARGAS vs. HOUSTON since 1997
VARGAS is 0-2 when starting against HOUSTON with an ERA of 8.41 and a WHIP of 1.820.
His team's record is 1-3 (-3.2 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-3. (-2.5 units)

MICHAEL FIERS vs. KANSAS CITY since 1997
FIERS is 0-2 when starting against KANSAS CITY with an ERA of 6.46 and a WHIP of 1.957.
His team's record is 1-2 (-1.3 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-2. (-1.5 units)

SEATTLE (1 - 3) at LA ANGELS (2 - 2) - 10:05 PM
YOVANI GALLARDO (R) vs. JESSE CHAVEZ (R)
Top Trends for this game.
SEATTLE is 47-63 (-21.1 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 3 seasons.
SEATTLE is 73-88 (-29.6 Units) against the money line after a win over the last 3 seasons.
SEATTLE is 129-117 (+28.7 Units) against the money line in road games in April games since 1997.
SEATTLE is 61-47 (+17.8 Units) against the money line in road games against right-handed starters over the last 3 seasons.
GALLARDO is 14-7 (+11.0 Units) against the money line when the total is 8 to 8.5 over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
CHAVEZ is 8-18 (-11.6 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
CHAVEZ is 2-11 (-10.4 Units) against the money line after a loss over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

YOVANI GALLARDO vs. LA ANGELS since 1997
GALLARDO is 0-0 when starting against LA ANGELS with an ERA of 7.00 and a WHIP of 2.333.
His team's record is 2-0 (+2.4 units) in these starts. The OVER is 1-1. (-0.1 units)

JESSE CHAVEZ vs. SEATTLE since 1997
CHAVEZ is 0-6 when starting against SEATTLE with an ERA of 6.57 and a WHIP of 1.756.
His team's record is 1-6 (-6.0 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-5. (-4.6 units)

CLEVELAND (3 - 0) at ARIZONA (3 - 1) - 9:40 PM
JOSH TOMLIN (R) vs. SHELBY MILLER (R)
Top Trends for this game.
CLEVELAND is 16-23 (-13.2 Units) against the money line when the total is 9 to 9.5 over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 24-5 (+19.2 Units) against the money line when playing on Friday over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 77-43 (+22.5 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons.
CLEVELAND is 28-12 (+15.4 Units) against the money line after 3 or more consecutive wins over the last 2 seasons.
TOMLIN is 22-11 (+12.0 Units) against the money line in all games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
TOMLIN is 12-5 (+9.3 Units) against the money line in road games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
TOMLIN is 21-11 (+10.6 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
TOMLIN is 21-9 (+13.4 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 2 seasons. (Team's Record)
ARIZONA is 819-745 (-111.5 Units) against the money line in home games since 1997.
ARIZONA is 819-745 (-111.5 Units) against the money line in home games in games played on a grass field since 1997.
ARIZONA is 23-40 (-20.8 Units) against the money line in home games against right-handed starters over the last 2 seasons.
ARIZONA is 27-45 (-22.1 Units) against the money line in home games after a win over the last 3 seasons.
MILLER is 7-20 (-13.8 Units) against the money line in home games over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
MILLER is 16-36 (-18.9 Units) against the money line in games played on a grass field over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
MILLER is 9-29 (-20.6 Units) against the money line in night games over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)
MILLER is 3-20 (-15.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons. (Team's Record)

Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.

JOSH TOMLIN vs. ARIZONA since 1997
TOMLIN is 0-0 when starting against ARIZONA with an ERA of 1.46 and a WHIP of 0.730.
His team's record is 0-2 (-2.7 units) in these starts. The UNDER is 1-1. (-0.1 units)

SHELBY MILLER vs. CLEVELAND since 1997
No recent starts.

Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

Reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer takes the mound for Washington against the Phillies in their home opener. Scherzer's spring preparation was delayed because he was still in pain from a fractured knuckle on his pitching hand. ''I'm good to throw 100 pitches. ... That's what's so exciting about where I was at, to where I am now,'' Scherzer said, adding that he considers being able to make his first start without missing time in the regular season ''a major accomplishment.''

WHEELS UP

Mets righty Zack Wheeler is set to start a series opener against Miami, his first big league appearance since Sept. 25, 2014. Wheeler injured his elbow pitching against Miami in a spring training game on March 9, 2015, and had Tommy John surgery 16 days later. He returned last summer and threw 17 pitches over one inning in a rain-shortened start on Aug. 6 for Class A St. Lucie, then complained of elbow discomfort and didn't pitch again. ''Certainly, he'll (be) amped up,'' New York manager Terry Collins said. ''Emotionally, I'm sure he'll be nervous.''
LONG ROAD BACK

Hyun-Jin Ryu returns to the mound for the Dodgers after making just one start over the past two seasons because of left shoulder surgery and other injuries. The South Korean left-hander was excellent for Los Angeles in 2013 and `14, and he looked sharp this spring training, putting up a 2.57 ERA over 14 innings. Lefty Kyle Freeland, the eighth overall pick in the 2014 draft, will make his major league debut for Colorado.
SECOND TIME AROUND

The reigning Rookie of the Year in the AL has another honor to look forward to: Michael Fulmer is set to start the home opener for Detroit. Fulmer takes the mound when the Tigers host the Boston Red Sox in Detroit's first home game of the season. The right-hander went 11-7 with a 3.06 ERA last year, helping Detroit contend for a postseason spot until its final game.

KANSAS CITY SCUFFLE

The winless Royals travel to Houston looking to get their offense off the ground. Kansas City amassed five runs on 16 hits while being swept over three games in Minnesota. The Astros, meanwhile, are coming off a series win against Seattle to begin the season. Jason Vargas starts for the Royals, and Mike Fiers is up for Houston.

HARDCOURT TO HARDBALL

Former St. John's basketball player Amir Garrett will make his major league debut when the Reds face St. Louis. The left-hander played two seasons with the Red Storm even after signing as a 22nd-round pick with Cincinnati in 2011. He eventually gave up hoops to focus on baseball full-time, a move that seems to have paid off. The 24-year-old had a 2.55 ERA last season split between Double-A and Triple-A.

Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

Should Win Total bettors that took the Minnesota Twins Under 70.5 be concerned about a perfect 3-0 start to the season? No need to sweat just yet with 159 games to go, but as for the next two weeks the Twins might be a good team to support while getting longer plus-money prices. Keep the rally going while it's hot.

The Twins hit the road this weekend to take on the White Sox and a sweep against a team figured by Las Vegas to win 68.5 games isn't beyond the realm of reality.

The big question for Minnesota moving forward is how its starting pitching will hold up. After three games; so far, so good.

But we'll get a look at that back-end of the rotation with Phil Hughes on Friday who comes off a spring of allowing opponents to bat .353. And then on Saturday left-handed rookie Adaiberto Mejia, who was sensational in spring, gets the nod. Then its back to the top of the order on Sunday with ace Ervin Santana facing Jose Quintana, who just allowed six runs to Detroit on opening day.

Because of the Twins No. 4 and 5 starters, the White Sox are going to be favorites to win the series. Sox No. 4 Derek Holland and No. 5 Miguel Gonzalez just don't evoke enough fear to halt making a wager on the Twins to win the series as an underdog while momentum is in their favor. You just have to win two out of three.

Momentum, Sunday's Santana start and possibly the bats bailing out Hughes is what's at stake.

Here's a look at a few series I'll be keeping a close eye on this weekend:

Arizona had high expectations out of the gate last season and failed, but this year we're seeing a little bit of the line-up production expected which has had all four of its games go 'over' the total. They came from behind to win three of four against the visiting Giants to start the season and it's something to think about when Cleveland visits this weekend when just handicapping pitchers. A.J. Pollock back in the lineup after missing all of last season has been huge so far. So has Chris Ownings, Jake Lamb and Paul Goldschmidt.

So before just thinking about the great Indians rotation that won the A.L. Pennant last season, think about a hot team like Arizona hitting well at home. However, Cleveland just comes off a successful campaign 3-0 campaign at Texas. It's just part of the reason why Arizona will be a significant underdog in the series.

C.C. Sabathia gave a nice five inning shutout performance against Tampa Bay is his first start to get the win and it will be interesting to see how the 36-year old veteran follows it up. The good news is that Chase Headley is hitting .636 and Jacoby Ellsbury .455, which is huge while while franchise-phenom catcher Gary Sanchez (.071) finds his groove. The Yankees are a team I'm high on this season, or at least to fare better than expected which was 83.5 wins in Las Vegas.
Seattle (1-3) at Los Angeles Angels (2-2)
Scheduled rotation: Gallardo vs. Chavez, Hernandez vs. Nolasco, Iwakuma vs. Shoemaker

I'm anxiously awaiting to see how King Felix performs Saturday at Anaheim following being yanked after five innings and 65 pitches Monday at Houston. Groin tightness is the issue, maybe caused by Hernandez going through a rigorous off-season regime of building lower body strength for his legs. This could be a lingering issue despite Hernandez saying it isnt and that he'll start. As for Nolasco, his pitcher rating might be too low. He found a place that wants him enough to make him the No 1 starter based on winning his final three decisions last year and only allowing three runs in a 4-2 loss at Oakland.

Saturday's game is the one that looks the most intriguing with Matt Cain getting the start after seven spring appearances allowing 23 runs where opponents hit.343. But before you go jumping on the Padres to win, consider that "No. 1 starter" Jhoulys Chacin gave up nine runs in 3.1 innings opening day at Dodger Stadium. The thing that could save both their ERA's is the park itself and the 5:40 p.m. PT start time causing some unique shadows.

The other starter to take note of is the Padres' Clayton Richard on Sunday who beat the Dodgers on Tuesday with eight shutout innings after San Diego lost 14-3 the game before. He's going to present value in the first half of the season, especially at a pitchers park like Petco Park.

On Monday, the fourth game of the series will have newly acquired Chris Sale against Tigers' ace Justin Verlander who comes off a solid spring where he allowed opponents to hit only .208. This past Tuesday in his season debut, he allowed two runs over 6.1 innings in a win against the White Sox.

Chris Sale went seven strong innings at home against the Pirates where at he allowing no runs and three hits over seven innings where the pitching staff let him throw 104 pitches. Boston would win in extra innings.

Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) Dustin Johnson has withdrawn from the Masters after injuring his lower back in a fall at the home he was renting for the week.

The world's No. 1-ranked player arrived at Augusta National on quite a roll, having won his last three starts.

But he never took a shot at the first major championship of the year.

Johnson walked to the first hole as if he was going to play in the final group of the day, but changed his mind at the last possible moment. Bubba Watson and Jimmy Walker teed off while Johnson sauntered back to the clubhouse, a stunning start to the tournament.

His Masters was over before it ever began.

Johnson was injured late Wednesday afternoon when he took what his agent described as a ''serious'' fall down a staircase.
BASEBALL

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Of course he did.

Tim Tebow hit a home run in his first official at-bat as a New York Mets minor leaguer, a charmed start for a popular yet polarizing athlete who seems to have a knack for these remarkable moments.

Playing a sport where many thought he didn't even belong in the batter's box, the former NFL quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner launched a two-run drive for the Columbia Fireflies in a Class A South Atlantic League game against Augusta. It was his only hit in five plate appearances.

With a 15 mph wind blowing out, Tebow hit a shot just over the 372-foot sign in left-center field. He stopped at second base, thinking it was a double - but the ball hit a railing above the fence at the Bojangles Berm, and an umpire twirled his hand to indicate it was a homer.

PHOENIX (AP) - The Arizona Diamondbacks are following the Colorado Rockies and adding a humidor to store baseballs.

Diamondbacks President and CEO Derrick Hall told Arizona Sports 98.7 FM that the team had been considering it for some time and hopes to have one installed in about a month.

Hall said the team asked former Diamondbacks pitchers what they liked and didn't like about pitching at Chase Field. Most said gripping the baseball in Arizona's hot, dry air was the biggest issue.

The Rockies installed a humidor in 2002 to combat the effect Denver's high altitude has on the baseballs. Colorado is the only team in Major League Baseball to use a humidor.

HOCKEY

If another labor war is brewing for the NHL, Jonathan Toews won't be caught off-guard.

The Chicago Blackhawks captain shrugged when asked this past week about the bad, old days, like the lockout that wiped out the 2004-05 season and the delayed beginning of the 2012-13 season not all that long ago.

''Wouldn't be surprised,'' he said. ''Can't say anyone should be surprised at this point.''

The NHL announcement Monday that it won't participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea next February shattered the harmony that appeared to be building after the return of the World Cup last year. To many players, it also seemed like an odd choice with the NHL adding games in Europe and making distinct efforts to gain a foothold in China, site of the next Winter Games in 2022.

While Olympic participation isn't an issue central enough to all 700-plus players to trigger a work stoppage as early as 2020, frustration over how the situation was handled has led many to wonder if the next collective bargaining negotiations will take an ugly turn.
IAAF

Defending Olympic and London marathon champion Jemima Sumgong has failed a drug test, the IAAF confirmed.

The sport's governing body says Sumgong ''tested positive for EPO following a no-notice test conducted by the IAAF in Kenya.''

Sumgong was the points leader in the World Marathon Majors series and was in line to receive a $250,000 bonus when the two-year cycle is completed in Boston on April 17. The series said it won't name a women's winner until doping officials have resolved her case.

WMM general manager Tim Hadzima said the series is distressed to learn of the reports but that, ''if true, they indicate that we are gaining ground in our long-standing fight against doping.''

The World Marathon Majors awards prizes to runners with the top finishes over six of the most prestigious annual marathons, plus the Olympics and world championships.

Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

JUST A HEADS UP TO ALL WHO COME HERE DAILY....I WILL BE ON VACATION STARTING THIS AFTERNOON TILL TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK......GOOD LUCK TO ALL......ITS A WELL DESERVED VACATION..........AND A PROMISE I MADE TO THE OLE LADY THAT AFTER THE MARCH MADNESS WE WILL GO AWAY FOR AWHILE WITHOUT ELECTRONICS.......LOL
SO UNTIL NEXT WEEK.....CYA THEN..

Overall Picks of the Day:

Date W-L-T % Units Record

04/06/2017 8-7-0 53.33% +300

04/05/2017 3-11-0 21.43% -3975

04/04/2017 5-8-0 38.46% -1350

04/03/2017 6-7-1 46.15% -700

04/02/2017 3-1-1 75.00% +1175

Best Bets Daily: ( DOGS AND TOTALS ONLY )

Sides / Totals

04/06/2017............1 - 3 - 2.00..............3 - 2 +1.00

04/05/2017............2 - 2 +0.95..............0 - 5 - 5.00

04/04/2017 ...........1 - 3 - 1.20............. 2 - 3 - 1.00

04/03/2017............0 - 3 - 3.00..............5 - 1 + 4.00

04/02/2017........... 2 - 0 + 2.15 ............1 - 2 - 1.00

FRIDAY, APRIL 7

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

ATL at PIT 01:05 PM

ATL +120

U 7.5

BOS at DET 01:10 PM

DET -111
O 8.5

WAS at PHI 03:05 PM

WAS -175

O 7.0

LAD at COL 04:10 PM

COL +125

O 12.0

SF at SD 06:40 PM

SF -116

O 8.0

NYY at BAL 07:05 PM

BAL -116

O 8.5

TOR at TB 07:10 PM

TOR -125

O 8.0

MIA at NYM 07:10 PM

MIA +100

O 7.5

OAK at TEX 08:05 PM

TEX -135
O 9.5

MIN at CHW 08:10 PM

CHW -120

U 8.5

KC at HOU 08:10 PM

KC +145

U 8.5

CHC at MIL 08:10 PM

MIL +155

O 9.0

CIN at STL 08:15 PM

STL -167

O 8.0

CLE at ARI 09:40 PM

CLE -135

O 9.5

SEA at LAA 10:07 PM

SEA +110

U 8.5

Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....

13) Steve Fisher retired as San Diego State’s coach Monday night, ending a 26-year career where he compiled a 495-288 record, winning the 1989 national title with Michigan, when he replaced Bill Frieder just before the NCAA tournament, after Frieder bolted for Arizona State.

Fisher later built San Diego State’s program up from practically nothing to one of the best programs in the west- he will be missed.

12) Cubs raised their World Series championship banner last night; they’ve moved the bullpens to under the outfield bleachers, and put in 500 new, premium-priced seats down each foul line, where the bullpens used to be. Cubs beat the Dodgers 3-2 to win their home opener.

11) What have you done for me lately?

NHL’s Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014, their only Cups in 52 years of existence, but they fired coach Daryl Sutter Monday, after six full seasons with the Kings- he won two of the last five Stanley Cups, but got canned- doubt he’ll be out of work long.

10) Reminder; if you’re in Las Vegas and come to the SouthPoint Casino, bring a fleece or a light jacket- excellent place to watch sports, but a little cool in here.

9) You meet people from all over the country here; was talking to a guy from Louisiana Sunday night— he told me one of the main reasons Ben Simmons chose to play basketball at LSU was that lot of the bigger-name schools wouldn’t OK a camera crew following Simmons around all the time so Showtime could do their infomercial/documentary on him.

Hard to figure out why LSU’s season went so far into the dumper that season.

8) Then there was the conversation between two friends sitting behind me last night, while I was watching the Padres-Rockies game. These two guys were talking politics and apparently they hadn’t seen each other since last November’s election. It was a spirited discussion between two friends, but it got heated now and then- they didn’t agree on too much.

7) Padres 5, Rockies 3— Wil Myers hit for the cycle, just the second Padre (Matt Kemp) ever to do that.

6) Mets 4, Phillies 3— Teams carry so many pitchers these days, their benches are short; Mets were tied 2-2 in the 7th inning last night- they had go-ahead run on second with two out and a righty on the mound for the Phils.

Terry Collins had Michael Conforto in the on-deck circle, but if he uses Conforto there, Philly puts a lefty in, and Collins counters with Wilmer Flores. So he used Flores against the righty, preserving Conforto for later in the game (he never got in) if he needed him. Smart.

5) Heat 124, Cavaliers 121— Miami stays alive in the playoff race, barely beating a Cleveland team playing without Lebron James/Kyrie Irving. Heat still needs the Pacers to lose a game to make the playoffs— Indiana beat the 76ers in Philly last night.

4) Giants 4, Diamondbacks 1— Buster Posey got beaned in his first at-bat yesterday, was removed from the game as a precaution. Giants later scored three runs on a ground ball to the pitcher, something you rarely see, even in a Little League game.

3) NFL announced the Saints-Dolphins game from London will be one of those hideous 9:30am ET kickoffs. Imagine working in a sports book here in Las Vegas, with a 6:30am kickoff? Oy.

2) Active managers who will be in the Hall of Fame someday: Bruce Bochy, Joe Maddon and Terry Francona. Cubs’ GM Theo Epstein will also get in.

1— Lawson brothers bolted Memphis’ basketball team last week; four of their teammates have since followed them out of town, gutting the Tigers’ roster- they’re basically an expansion team right now, a total rebuild.

Lawsons surfaced Monday at Kansas; we’ll see how that goes.

I know this; recruiting is a cut-throat business and it never seems to end.

Remember the 3 G's Gambling, Golf, Girls not in any particular order.....